Ai Weiwei Resists Tax Demand

Despite the Chinese government's claim that Ai Weiwei has confessed to tax evasion and agreed to pay up, the artist has begun to resist the assessment of $1.87 million levied against him.

On Tuesday, Ai refused to sign an acknowledgement when presented with a notice from the Beijing Local Taxation Bureau. On Wednesday, his wife, Lu Qing, told BBC News that she had filed a request for review, calling for proof of the alleged tax evasion by Ai's design firm, Beijing Fake Cultural Development Ltd. Lu is reportedly, for legal purposes, the company's official head.

According to Pu Zhiqiang, a lawyer retained by the firm, documents were seized at the time of Ai's detention nearly three months ago. Thus, he says, corporate representatives cannot at present check the records in order to respond to allegations.

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